Terror fears threw the final day of the Premier League season into chaos after Manchester United’s match with Bournemouth was abandoned because of an ‘incredibly lifelike’ suspect bomb.

Stadium security staff at Old Trafford are understood to have found a mobile phone with wires leading from it.

The phone was reportedly attached to a gas pipe in a men’s toilet cubicle on floor 5 of the Sir Alex Ferguson stand.

Bomb disposal experts raced to the ground after a ‘Code Red’ alert was sounded over the Tannoy at 2.43pm and players warming up left the field.

As the first 20,000 fans left the ground’s Tannoy announced: “Due to the discovery of a suspect package in the north-west quadrant of the ground, the match has been abandoned for today on police advice.

“People in the stadium are advised to remain in their seats while the forecourt is cleared of fans evacuated from the stadium. Further announcements will be made as soon as possible.”

Greater Manchester Police advised match officials to abandon the game and to begin evacuating the sun-soaked ground, which was packed with 80,000 fans celebrating the final day of the season for the Reds’ clash with Bournemouth.

At first just two stands - the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the Stretford End - were evacuated before the home game and sniffer dogs brought in to search the ground.

It is understood both sets of players were kept in the dressing rooms for around 40 minutes before being taken to a suite, being looked after by security and hospitality staff.

Members of staff wait outside the ground following a security alert (Image: Getty Images)

The footballers were taken to an executive suite at the opposite end of the stadium from where the package was found in the north west corner.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward then spoke to Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore about the game being called off.

Kick-off was due at 3pm but at 3.19pm the match was abandoned on police advice.

Security staff drilled in coping with a full scale stadium evacuation supervised fans.

Sean Bones, vice chairman of the Mancester United Supporters’ Trust, said: “It is obviously a dark day in Premier League history. We have obviously got to give our thanks to the club and the authorities for getting supporters out of the ground safely and home to their families.”

Coleen Rooney tweets about the evacuation of Old Trafford (Image: Twitter)

Manchester United fan Bob Killelea, 71, from Bury was in the South Stand waiting for the match to start when he realised there was a problem.

He said: “It came over the Tannoy ‘Red Alert, Red Alert’. Then we saw the North Stand was being evacuated. “We were told the game would be delayed until 3.45pm, and then we heard nothing until we heard on TV that the match was going to be abandoned.

“Shortly afterwards there was an announcement where we were that the match was to be abandoned. There was no panic at all where we were, everyone was evacuated calmly.”

Bournemouth fan Steve Graham, 28, said: “We were told to stay calm and remain in our seats over the Tannoy about 30 times.

Coleen Rooney seen arriving at Old Trafford with her sons (Image: XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM)

“The teams went off earlier than normal but the first we knew of anything going on was about 2.45pm when fans started getting evacuated.

“But we had no clue what was going on. I just want to go home now. The fans have been great though, we haven’t been nervous, we’ve just kept singing our songs and sticking together.

“It’s a shame having travelled all this way. We’re going to have to come all the way back, and who knows when that will be?”.

The Sky Sports team working inside the ground were also told to leave and had to broadcast some of the programme from a car park outside as the bomb disposal squad arrived followed shortly be a fleet of fire engines.

Fans leave the stands after a security announcement during the Barclays Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester (Image: PA)

Nerves had been jittery before the match with stewards given briefings to look out for suspect packages.

And Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said he and colleague Thierry Henry were searched for the first time before the game.

Mr Souness said: “For the first time today we were patted down. I can’t remember that here.”

A police search adviser, trained in identifying suspect packages, was called to the scene to carry out an initial check.

The adviser told officials that the device could be viable and warranted further examination.

As a result, the bomb squad were called and the match was abandoned.

Man Utd game abandoned at Old Trafford as fans stream out of the stadium with police blocking routes (Image: Zenpix Ltd)

Police created a 100-metre “sterile zone” around the ground as the Army experts arrived with a police motorcycle escort.

Experts carried out a controlled explosion on the device before the Army’s specialist bomb team found it was not ‘viable’.

However, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman said it was an ‘incredibly lifelike explosive device’.

The spokesman added: “Full assessment now concluded and found device wasn’t viable. A full search of the stadium is ongoing.”

Reports have suggested the match could be replayed behind closed doors to finish the League.

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But a Premier League spokesman said yesterday: “When it comes to matters of security it is obviously right that Manchester United and the Premier League place the safety of supporters and employees foremost.

“The Premier League will seek to rearrange the fixture as soon as practically possible and will advise fans accordingly.

“It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologise for the inconvenience caused to fans we are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to so.”

The match has been rearranged for Tuesday night at 8pm, the Premier League confirmed on Sunday night.

The Bournemouth team and Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal left Old Trafford at around 5.30pm

The scare came less than a month before the Euro 2016 championships and stoked fears the tournament could be a target for Islamic State terrorists.

Officers were said to be combing the whole of Old Trafford on Sunday to ensure there were no either devices in the ground.

Sniffer dogs could be seen combing the entire stadium, inside and out.

An hour and a half after the first alert Coleen Rooney, wife of club captain Wayne, tweeted:

“We are out of the stadium fine thank you for asking, and it looks like most people are. Hopefully everything and everyone is ok.”

Although the bomb turned out to be a hoax, it comes at a time of heightened fears around football being a target for terrorist extremists.

Last week Islamic State militants attacked a cafe in Iraq used by supporters of the Spanish football club Real Madrid, killing at least 12 people.

The assailants fled and hours later one blew himself up after being cornered by Shia militiamen, killing four of them.

It was claimed at the time that IS sees supporting a football team as Western and un-Islamic

Last week the UK government announced an increased threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism meaning an attack in England, Scotland or Wales is “a strong possibility”.

A sniffer searches the stands at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England (Image: Getty Images)

In January Manchester United reportedly beefed up security in the wake of the terror attack at the Stade de France in Paris

With thousands of Britons preparing to travel to France for Euro 2016 next month - with England, Wales and Northern Ireland all taking part - concerns for a terror attack are high following the suicide bombings and mass shootings that killed 130 people in Paris in November.

During those attacks, three suicide bombers set off explosions near the Stade de France during a match between the home nation and Germany, killing one and injuring 56.

Officers have been placed on high alert for five group-stage matches, two of which involve England.

There will be unprecedented security measures in place when England play Russia in Marseilles on June 11 when 1,200 security guards will be on duty, and when they come up against Wales in Len on June 16.

Other matches that will be subjected to additional security are Turkey v Croatia, Germany v Poland and Ukraine v Poland.

Greater Manchester Police also carried out a three day terror exercise at the nearby Trafford Centre last week which centred on a suicide bomber blowing himself up in the shopping centre.

Traditionally all football matches on the last day of the seasons start at the same time.

Manchester United were vying with same city rivals Manchester City for a place in Europe.

United were aiming to steal fourth place from Manchester City and qualify for next season’s Champions League, rather than face the Europa League.

John Corless,52, from Moston, Manchester said: “It is a shame but all the fans seemed to know what needed to be done. It was very calm, but securing a ground like Old Trafford must be almost impossible.”

In a statement the Premier League said: “The decision to abandon was taken after police advised of the necessity to deal with a suspect package.

“When it come to matters of security it is obviously right that Manchester United and the Premier League place the safety of supporters and employees foremost.

“The Premier League will see to rearrange the fixture as soon as practically possible and will advise fans accordingly.

“It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologise for the inconvenience caused to fans were are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to do so.”